Finn Sees the Light
by finnsgirl994
Summary: Finn realizes beauty during Rachel's solo at Regionals
1. Finn Gets It

Finn had fallen in love with Rachel because of the way she sang with all her heart and soul. She would pour her voice into every word, making the lyrics fit around _her _emotions. That was why Finn was looking forward to Rachel's solo at regionals- he knew she would be beautiful. It was going to be a surprise for him- he hadn't heard more than the chorus, and that was fantastic as it is.

Backstage, Finn pulled out of Quinn's arms to watch Rachel's performance. She looked tiny, almost childlike as she walked to the pink microphone and began her performance. She started small, but the force built behind her words until they burst at the chorus when Tina and Brittany began the background choir. Rachel's eyes were streaming with tears, and Finn had to look away- had he really caused all of that? Did he really have so much of a role in her life? He realized that from the very beginning, Rachel was his best chance at becoming better than the jock, the almost-bully. He tore himself away from his thoughts to listen to Rachel, confidently taking the microphone in her hand to command the stage. She pumps a delicate fist in the air, so strong and yet so fragile- it makes Finn tear up a little. And then… Rachel does it. She hits the bridge and her voice soars throughout the auditorium like an eagle, honest and brave. He doesn't know how she manages but she holds the note beautifully, and all he can think is, (oddly enough) Quinn could never do that. No, Quinn's voice starts off nicely, and then fades away like footprints in the sand… She could never mark her voice on Finn's heart like Rachel had… Never ever. And it is then he knows he needs to leave Quinn, leave her as fast as he can because she was toxic- poison because he's acting like the douchebag from last year, and that's all her influence. As Rachel thanks the audience Finn feels his heart racing, not from nervousness but from anticipation. He'd won Rachel once; he'd do it again, and this time, he'd get it right.


	2. Breaking Up is a Bitch

Breaking up with Quinn was a bitch, figuratively and otherwise. After gathering up his courage, he came up to her locker weeks after Regionals, and the look on his face was enough for Quinn to begin accusing him of various crimes. After denying that he cheated on her with Rachel _and _Santana, Finn took a deep breath. He told her slowly. "Quinn, I don't think we work. I loved you, sort of, back before the whole Beth disaster, but um… now? Now you act just like back when you were pretending the baby was mine. You yell and criticize, and it's not okay." She shrieks. She offers him sex. She demands to know if it's because the "Hermaphrodite Hobbit" seduced him- and that's when he grabs her wrist firmly enough for her to stop her tirade. "Quinn, stop it. Have you ever noticed that you pick on Rachel more than ever- even though she was there for you when even I wasn't able to? Do you think it's actually okay for you to make someone feel that bad about them self? She wanted your NOSE Quinn! Is that normal? Who the hell do you think you are, ruining her self esteem like that?" Finn knows he's lost his footing within his anger, so he lets her rage. Quinn is surprisingly quiet though. She doesn't say anything for a moment and instead just toys with a ring on her finger. Finally she frowns, and murmurs in the voice he once found sexy, "Do you think Sam has a chance as my Prom King?" He can't help but laugh at her- her priorities and her obsession with social status. Finn was about to turn around and walk to the choir room to _Rachel _when Quinn stops him. "Finn… I know what happened at Regionals. I know what you're thinking- I did go out with you for almost 2 years. I don't know why but I just knew that her solo was going to ruin our relationship… I inspired it, did you know that? I told her to get it right; I told her that you were going to stay with me in Lima, just getting by. She didn't accept that. She wants more for you. I can respect that." With that she turns, and all he can see is the once captivating Cheerio's pony tail, with three perfect curls bouncing up and down as she strutted down the halls. Sighing, Finn walks away. He's too tired to try to win Rachel today; he'd probably screw it up. Instead he drives home to have a lady chat with Kurt, and enjoy a mug of warm milk.


	3. Lady Chats

Finn hated Kurt sometimes. Mostly he really loved him like a brother, but that day, Finn wanted to rack him. And run him over with a truck. He'd invited Blaine over for dinner, which was fine- no, awesome. Kurt deserved someone to love! But then he pulled a dick move (he didn't know gay guys could do that too) and invited Rachel. Finn was shocked to open the door to a pensive looking Rachel Berry, looking adorable in a pink sweater dress and yellow tights. She recovers from her horror immediately, flashing a **fake **Tony Award smile, and gushes about how nicely the rose bushes in the front yard were blooming. He stammers like an ass, and attempts to graciously welcome her to his home. Kurt swoops in, wearing some ridiculously orange sweater, and escorts Rachel to the kitchen. Finn shot Kurt the dirtiest look he could muster before collapsing onto the couch. He didn't know how was supposed to make Rachel be comfortable with the idea of going out with him again if it even seemed like he had done something as awkward as asking her to come over for dinner. Finn was brooding when he opened the door to a smiling Blaine. He really liked the guy, but not even his happy go lucky aura could make him feel better. His obviously pissed off mood led Blaine to ask "What's wrong Finn?"- And like projectile vomit, Finn exploded with his pathetic story of true love and betrayal. Blaine seemed genuinely concerned, and didn't even laugh when he described his feelings during her regionals solo. Instead, he smiled, and said "Finn. I may be gay but I know the same love that you know. I mean, when I sang to Kurt the first time, I felt something in me. It was amazing and happy, but at the same time I felt so sad. I was sad because I was so afraid of all the loss involved with love- heartbreak, cheating, lying. Rachel's solo was beautiful- not just because of her voice, but because she was singing with a purpose. She was expressing every single loss she felt in the relationship she had with you, Finn. She wants you back, but she wants you to know that you're not innocent either. Whatever issues you two had is between you and her, but you need to know that she is feeling wronged and hurt. Make it right Finn."

Finn sat there quietly for a minute, and then hugged Blaine. Kurt swooped in moments after, grabbing Blaine's arm and instructing Finn to go and pick up more ginger ale. Finn obeyed mutely and from the exterior, calmly. On the inside, however, Finn was screaming with joy. He could get Rachel back. As he absent mindedly picked up the drink, he thought. He didn't know why but something about what Blaine said made him think about communication, and how he hadn't communicated with Rachel about Santana. Then and there, as he paid for the ginger ale, Finn decided he'd try to write a song. It wasn't going to be fancy, but maybe he could tell Rachel why he was sorry. Maybe he could make it right.


	4. Prom Dresses and Promises

It was prom week and it was hell. Finn was still Prom King Candidate so he was apparently bound to attending the stupid dance, and at that point he didn't think he could deal with the horror of 3 things- first, Quinn Fabray crawling on her knees for people's votes. Second, he was worried about Kurt going with Blaine- things at McKinley had calmed down, but something told Finn it wasn't a permanent change. Finally, the worst part of going to prom was that he had to watch his beautiful Rachel dancing, drinking spiked punch that would get her drunk with one sip, and snuggling with that _egg throwing heart breaking soul crushing bastard _Jesse St. Jackass.

On the other hand, he would get to see all of his friends from New Directions dressed up- especially Rachel. It was the first time Finn cared about what she wore; when they were together he always liked her silly but sexy outfits. That's why he was embarrassed when Kurt caught him looking at his prom edition of Teen Vogue. Kurt at first screeched about private property, but quieted down when he saw that Finn had marked a page with a pink dress on it- with a gold star sticker. Then he sat down, and offered Finn to join him with helping the girls pick out their dresses. Finn wasn't sure how he was supposed to feel better but he agreed- maybe it'd cheer him up.

Kurt was right- seeing Lauren Ziszes in a flouncy gown was hilarious. Not only did he learn about figure accentuating dress lines that night, but he also learned about the Glee girls' personalities. Brittany's highlighter yellow dress was perfect- the color was random and a bit bright but over all awesome. Tina's black outfit was no doubt perfect for her dark but still nice persona. Santana's devil dress said it all, but best of all was Mercedes' dress. She had seemed super insecure when she saw that Finn was sitting there, but she still stepped out in her fuchsia mermaid tail gown. "Do I look good?" Her voice was soft, something Finn wasn't used to, and he didn't like that at all, so he said "Hell yeah! It's like the perfect color with your skin, and the glitter makes your eyes look really pretty." Nobody said anything, but the smile on Mercedes' face was big enough for Finn to feel like maybe he could be a good boyfriend to Rachel, if he ever won her back. Maybe next year, they'd go to the real Senior prom together, and he could make her smile like that.


	5. Fun, Fun, Fun

**AN: This is my own spin on the Prom episode- it's no big change just no Fuinn lol.**

Dancing is awkward when you're 6'3 and single. Dancing at prom to Friday is even tougher, especially since Finn was having the worst night of his life. First off, he'd already seen Quinn enter the gym majestically with a random jock- which meant Sam had rejected her for Mercedes (who looked smoking). Sadly, Quinn was smoking too- she looked like mother friggin' Cinderella in her sparkling light blue dress and hair softly curled up somehow. She was beautiful, and lovely, but still she looked wrong to him- something was missing. If things couldn't get any worse, _St. Jackass _and Rachel had walked in looking like a celebrity couple walking on the red carpet at the Tony's. It pissed him off to no end, seeing that douche with his classy suit and perfect hair. Rachel on the other hand, was a sight for weary and tired eyes; she looked like heaven. Her pink dress looked so much like the one from the magazine that it made Finn's heart ache- how could it be a coincidence? Her hair was up and curled and framed her face that was glowing with excitement. He could tell that she was nervous around Jesse because when she laughed, her double chin didn't appear. Anyone who had seen a real Rachel Berry laugh knew that it involved an adorable temporary double chin.

Besides that, he couldn't stop looking at her neck and shoulders- she was wearing a strapless dress. He knew how insecure she was about her boobs; it'd taken him two weeks to convince her that he liked them a LOT. She finally felt comfortable with second base when he told her that Quinn had non-existent boobs; in fact, she was kind of into it afterwards. With that depressing memory, Finn sat down next to Becky and offered to dance with her during Jar of Hearts. They were swaying, and Becky smelled like cupcakes. Finn was feeling less depressed, when he realized it was Rachel singing. Suddenly the gym was empty; all he could see was her face, her shoulders, her hair- and yet again he saw tears in her eyes. In fact, Rachel was looking at him! And she wasn't screaming in anger, but from loss- Blaine was right. Finn knew he looked ridiculous but he couldn't tear his eyes away from the beautiful girl on the stage. She was doing that thing where she sang so hard that she had to inhale sharply before the next verse, and the way her chest contracted with the air nearly broke his heart; she was singing this song about him… Damn it.


	6. Ignorance

Sue Sylvester normally scared the shit out of Finn. This was a woman who had made it her personal hobby to destroy one of the few things in life he actually loved. This was a woman who partially caused him to break up with Rachel- had she not required the Cheerios to have those younger boyfriends, Santana would never have approached him, and he'd still be a virgin for Rachel. At that moment, however, his heart was breaking. Right then, Sue Sylvester was helping his step brother Kurt, who at Prom was elected Prom Queen. Finn was only ever this angry one other time- when he'd found out about Quinn and Puck's lie- and right then he felt even more furious. The sight of Kurt flying out of the gym after a moment of utter horror made Finn's heart lurch in pain for his newest family member, because they'd gotten to the point where they were really close and Kurt had told Finn his fears. He'd described his first date with Blaine with joy that made Finn thankful to God that Kurt had finally found someone who was good for him. Remembering that and seeing Kurt's source of joy lead to his heartbreak? Hell no. Finn lost his thought process and didn't remember what happened but suddenly he was grabbing the microphone from Figgins' hands and glaring angrily at the crowd. "How many of you guys like Lady Gaga? Or Katy Perry? Or Paramore, or Eminem, or anyone?" The crowd, intrigued, raised their hands timidly. "Hypocrites. Everyone of you who voted for Kurt as Queen is a hypocrite. How did that Gaga song go again? Oh yeah, BORN THIS WAY. Who wants you to feel like a damn Firework no matter who you are? Katy Perry. If that's what you listen to and believe in- Think again. Those people don't give a crap if you're gay or straight- notice that? Or can you conveniently ignore that the way we all ignore slushies and fighting? We're not royalty tonight- we're not Cinderellas and Charmings because we were Evil Stepmothers tonight. I never thought that being stupid- and I know stupid- was this common. I NEVER thought you'd all be such jackasses"- Figgins finally cut in. "I'm sorry for this but I have to agree with Mr. Hudson. There will be an investigation on the culprits of this terrible act. I hope Mr. Hudson taught you a rather important lesson today." The student body stared at Finn like he was a ghost or a leper. He felt the anger radiating towards his back like a laser. As he stalked to the back table where the punch was, the entire Glee club fell upon him in one hug that he angrily pushed away, realizing that Kurt and Blaine were _alone _in the hallway. Vulnerable. In danger.

And with that the New Directions ran calling Kurt's name into the hallway. When the sounds of hushed talking and whimpers were cut by the stern voice of Sue Sylvester, the glee club halted in its tracks.

"Hello Mystery Inc. I do believe that Daphne here would appreciate some support while I go back in there and whip those peons' asses into a world of covered up CIA interrogation torture. I'll check back in later." With a graceful pivot the giant woman stalked to the gym, where unknowing victims awaited the ultimate hell.

Kurt slowly stood, his eyes dry, voice shaky. "I'm going to be alright. I'm going to go and be the best damn Queen this school's ever known. Santana, Mercedes, go get your fabulous butts on stage and prepare to sing me the best Abba those idiots will ever have the pleasure of hearing." Finn looked at Rachel and saw her beaming at Kurt with the biggest smile he'd ever seen. He saw Blaine absolutely glowing with quiet pride and relief at the fact that the boy he _loved _was going to be safe, and that was when Finn hoped that those two'd get married one day. After another quick glance, Finn noticed Quinn running away with Rachel following her in her shiny gold high heels.


	7. Little Gold Shoes

Finn was worried. He was pretty sure this was worse than the prom from that movie _Carrie_ that Puck made him watch when they were in the 5th grade (He didn't sleep for weeks). He was torn between Kurt putting on a brave act and possibly getting hurt, and Rachel running after Quinn. What if Quinn said something even more unforgivable than usual? It would kill Rachel, knowing that he'd picked that bitch over her.

"Hello Finn." Quinn's voice cut like a sharp knife through his thoughts. She wore a strange little smile that scared the living hell out of Finn, and her demeanor wasn't upset or anything- just her usual HBIC mode.

"Quinn- uh, hey, do you know where Rachel is?" Her grin faded instantly, to be replaced by an equally frightening grimace.

"No, I don't know where RuPaul is Finn. She's probably off dancing with Jessie to some stupid Broadway number."  
>Her response was expected, but still strange. He turned to where Quinn had come from, stopping when he heard water running in a girls' restroom.<p>

With a knock he asked "Rach? You in there?"

"Finn! Don't come in, this is a ladies room!" Her voice was panicky and shrill, a sure sign that something very bad had happened. It meant something huge when Rachel couldn't control herself and act natural.

With a slam the door opened to a Rachel hunched over a sink, dabbing a bruising cheek with a damp paper towel.

"Rachel, who the hell hit you, what happened?" Finn felt that anxious feeling build up in his chest when he knew something _awful _had occurred, and it was his entire fault.

"Finn… Quinn is mad you dumped her. She says she lost Queen because of me, which makes no sense. Can you shed some light on this, if you don't mind?" Her tone was so kind and inquisitive- her face on the other hand, was heart shatteringly beautiful, even though she had a really ugly bruise forming on her cheekbone, as well as mascara stains under her big brown eyes.

"Uh Rachel? Did she do that to you?"

She looked down at her feet, and smoothed her skirt, a nervous tic of hers that Finn had learned to anticipate and attempt to help her with.

"Rachel, you need to tell me. She can't go around hitting people and leaving actual damage- that's crossing the line."

Her voice was timid as she asked, "Was she angry because she thought you still loved me?"

Finn's heart woke up right then, and he could feel it begin to beat faster and faster as he nodded with the smallest of smiles.

"Rachel… She's mad because she realized what an ass I was to ever even think I could love her after being with you. She's furious that I was miserable without you, she's pissed that she was rejected for someone who's so much kinder, so much more talented than her."

"Finn… Don't be mean." Her words scolded him, but her voice was so light, so happy that he realized there was nothing better than being in love with Rachel Berry.

**FINCHELFINCHEL FINCHELFINCHEL FINCHELFINCHEL FINCHELFINCHEL FINCHELFINCHEL**

They walked into the gym together, arm in arm. The familiar pressure of her slender arm on his was enough to make him grin like an ass; the sound of their walking in step was joyful to his ears. Finn forgot his fury at Quinn as he and Rachel began to dance carefully, tentatively, as though they were afraid of messing up; it was like they couldn't bear to make the same mistakes again and ruin their dreams.

"Rachel, that's quite the shiner. Who hit you that fuckin' hard?" Puck's voice was deadly earnest as he cracked his knuckles, the sound reminding Finn that Quinn needed a talking-to. Rachel didn't get a chance to speak before Finn grabbed Puck and dragged him to the punch table, calling out to her over his shoulder, "I'll take care of it Rach! Dance with Kurt!"  
>She worriedly nodded, and left the dance floor.<p>

"Dude, Hudson what the fu-? " Finn interrupted, saying "Quinn was the one who punched Rach. She's not telling me but I think it really hurts, and Quinn needs to learn her lesson about being nice."

With that the two boys put their heads together and figured out a plan that would help Quinn Fabray learn what it felt like to be bitch slapped by reality (again).S


End file.
